The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1887-09-08
THE BUSY BEE.
Some Of Its Wonderful Working
Habits.

The hive Ot the pasi was 3 CHAMBER
IN which the bees were lrft TO their own
devices. n prey to their natural enc
mics and unnatural ills. and from
which their honey product Was only
obtained bv = ruthless slaughter Of the
huney-makers themselves. who were
smothcred in the fumes Of sulphur and
birthstone.
The hive Of the present Il = structure
any part 81 which ran at any time b.
rrarhrd or removed by the be.-keeper.
who may thus practically exercise Il
control over the work of the bees. aud
study their singular habits.
In our study Of the subj ct. let MS
s.art with an empty hive. modern. Of
course. Il may b. one IL fifty different
kinds. or shapes. but !. will have Ger
tain features common To all There
will be some ten shelves. or framrs
tilted one ab,ve another. or hung
dSwnWar,ls ia \ row. with sufficient
space b.tw~en each and around each.
to allow the free passage Of the bees.
The spaces must not b. larger than
this. or the he's will dill them with
somb aud honey. aud thus render il
impossible for Us 10 have access Ia The
various frames without cutting away
sh,. deposit
Into this empty hive we put a swarm
of beeS II We revisit il ia two or
three days. We shall find that 4 marvel
.uis change ha, taken place in the in
it,iOr. The frames arr all tillrd with
LlOcks Of honeycomh. tiny waNrn
cells. hrxagonal in shape. aud built
with all the nicely snd prrei-iun of
skilled engineering This i the iir-t
81 the many wonders which character
izes the wurk 81 the beehive Here is
4 miniature city. constructed out II a
delicate and yet strong fabric. and
built according to the most exact
geometrical principles II has been
the wonder nf naiuralists and matho-
nlaticians for ages, not merely the fact
81 building. but the manner Of build
ing In the structure 81 these
hrxagonal cells, the bee has solved for
itself an intricate mathematical prob
lem Il has chosen the form which
the science of geometry has proved Is
the only one suitable tu the various
purposes for which the houey-cOmb is
designed. and il used this form ages
brfore men knew a ~ thing Of geOm-
etry.
Having built their city, the lees bext
proceed to put 70 in order and furnMh
their dwellings We wiz. assume tina
the season is spring, a. W should by
M means have put the swarm into
new hive aiier the honey season. leav.
ing il unstockrd for the winter. The
principal member Of the colony il the
queen. whom you can easily distinguish
from all the rest, hecauSo her bOdy
l. longer than the others aud because
she carries herself in a royal fashion.
surrounded by a retinue Of loyal
attendants. The queen is. prOperl.
speaking. the mOihrr-hre. Each bee in
the hive is her own child There are
thousands If these children. A pros
porous and well-stOckrd hive will con
tain frum twenty Ia fifiy thousand aud
even sixty thousand bees. They are
divided into two workers aud
drones. The workers are females. but
they have no offspring. The lrune>
are males. and, rs their name in
plieA do not work. They seldom
form more than a iifiieth part Of the
population Of The hive.
The mother-bre, or queen. 10 use the
name by which she Is b'st known. has.
81 parently, some weather signal >erv-
Ice. Of her own. for she seems to know
whether or not the season will b. pro
ductlve Of honey. aud 10 lay her egg,
accordingly. II the season Is forward
she begins her work early In the
spring; il Il Is backward she defcrs
fnr a few weeks or a month. She pru-
duees from two to three thousand egg.
every tweniy-four hours. dep sitting
Pach one in separate cell, which sh'
first eln>elv examines To see whether or
pc IL a ~ proper ofuFf
The larvB which issue from ihes.
eggs in the course 81 three or foui
DAYS are assiduously attended by bee>
Who act the part Oi nursea. aud event
ualiy close the ni"u n Of the eel
with a wax n cover In tWenty-ou,
days frnm the time the eg 5 were laiu
the inmates uf the CELLS break through
the waSsn lids and issue forth Ia tn,
shape of perfect worker bee< The,
are then taken in charge by the nurses.
" no evidently explain TO them the
life Of the hive. and ia another day al
Two they venture out uPan tho work
and begin their work ia the fields an'
nieadaWs The birth Of dnine Is n
tended by similar processes. some
what longer however On duration
Young qnerns come into being in
much shorter time.
~, % Of these three classes Of bees j.
born. ur hatch'-i. in = teil i,eiOn ging
10 it, own kind. aud constructed for
this special purpose. The royal cells
are not only larger than the others.
but they are oval, instead % heVagoR-
81. in shane; aud, while the other Ia
iants are fell by their nurses with be-
bread. which i preparation Of pol.
len aud honey, the young princesses,
and they only. are RECALLED with a spe-
rial food, which iscsllsd royal Jelly"
It often happens that il = mishap
1efails the queen, and she has left M
Royal egg from which q success NAV
b. Matched. the bees viii take a work r.
-gg from is Pruper receptacle. place
Z In = royal cell. feed the larva upon
loyal Jelly. and. in the course Of time Q
queen will issue forth to
'ccuPy the throne Of the deceased
This Is = most singular aud
rise provision Of nature. and one
which naiuralists have not yet been
Ible clearly 10 explain.
When the young bee arst ventures
ntO the open air il dies in a eircls
round the hive. the circle constantly
until the yOnngsler has
aken rs observations Of every OBI C |
q the vicinity. familiarizing itself with
vrry prominent landmark that may
erve to guile Il In iis future flights.
lfter this reeOnnoifring expedition. the
'ee always wings is way in = straight
Inc 10 us destination, Bever losing is
earrings; and even though there may
. q hundred hives together. ami .
nilliOu bess nying in and Oui q them.
hastens with nneTring esEtainty %
Il own home.